A 92-year-old former Arizona police officer allegedly stabbed his elderly wife to death after becoming convinced she had stolen a large amount of money from him — as his attorney says the retired cop may be suffering from dementia.
John Biggs Jr. has been charged with second-degree murder and two counts of aggravated assault in the death of his 89-year-old wife, Jane Biggs.
The disturbing case unfolded on Aug. 24, when Goodyear police were called to the couple’s home at around 1:30 p.m. following a report of a dead person.
But it was the couple’s own son who reportedly made the horrifying discovery.
According to a probable cause affidavit obtained by Law & Crime, the son had traveled from out of state after receiving a troubling phone call from his father.
During that conversation, John allegedly sounded paranoid and delusional, telling his son that he believed Jane had taken a large amount of money from his account and was saying cruel things about him to his friends.
Concerned about his father’s behavior, the son went to the home to check on him.
When he walked inside, he allegedly found the 92-year-old sitting in a recliner.
John, who reportedly uses a wheelchair and wears hearing aids, then allegedly made a chilling confession.
He told his son that he had stabbed Jane and warned him that he “should not go into the bedroom,” according to the affidavit.
The son went inside anyway and found his mother lying on the bed surrounded by blood.
Police arrived and pronounced Jane dead at the scene.
Authorities said she suffered three or four stab wounds to her neck. Investigators also reportedly discovered defensive wounds on her hands and arms, suggesting she desperately tried to fight off her attacker.
When questioned by investigators, John allegedly admitted killing his wife.
He reportedly told police that he confronted Jane over missing investment documents and money he believed had disappeared from his accounts.
Jane denied taking anything, authorities said.
“John Jr. believed he had lost everything and had nowhere else to go and became enraged to the point of killing the victim,” detectives wrote in the affidavit.
Authorities said Jane attempted to fight back during the attack, but John allegedly continued stabbing her.
The horrifying ordeal apparently did not end there.
After allegedly killing his wife, John reportedly swallowed several pills in what investigators described as an apparent suicide attempt.
He then sat down in the recliner and fell asleep.
Authorities said he remained there until the following morning, when his son arrived at the house.
During John’s bond hearing, defense attorney Zach Murphy raised concerns about his elderly client’s mental condition, telling the court that John was apparently experiencing dementia, according to KSAZ.
“There appears to be some odd behavior that didn’t exist before,” Murphy said.
The hearing itself reportedly highlighted some of the difficulties surrounding the 92-year-old defendant.
KSAZ reported that it took roughly 20 minutes to get John’s hearing aids functioning properly.
At one point, John also reportedly attempted to explain his version of what happened, but his attorney quickly instructed him to stop talking.
It was not immediately clear whether John had entered a plea.
His bond was set at $1 million.
John is scheduled to return to court on Friday, Sept. 4, as the shocking case involving an elderly former law enforcement officer, allegations of dementia and the brutal death of his wife moves forward.
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